When TST asked for volunteers to try out some new Golf Pride grips, I jumped at the chance. I was already in the market for new grips, and getting a set from a reputable company made it more enticing. At first I was a little bummed that someone had staked claim to the Decade Multi-Compound grips, also from Golf Pride. The grips that I had on my clubs were the ones that come on clubs when you buy them stock at the store. Needless to say the grips that were on my clubs were just average generic grips. I occasionally had issues with my hands slipping on my old grips, so tackiness on my new grips was definitely going to be important to me. When I saw the other option that was available for review my excitement level rose. The ones that I chose were Golf Pride's new Z-Grip Patriots. I am a very patriotic person and was instantly drawn to the colors of the Patriots. These grips look great and are a tribute to the "Stars and Stripes", with a Patriotic color theme as shown below. This is the only color scheme available for these grips and for good reason.

The grips are red, white, and blue and are "designed with a uniquely textured surface pattern that includes strategically placed black pebbled bands. These bands, along with a supple tri-colored rubber construction, provide exceptional traction for added playability. The Patriot is designed for players of all skill levels and has the durability you expect from Golf Pride" (Golf Pride Website). When I opened the box that contained my new grips I noticed that they were solid rubber, no chords, like my old stock grips. When I picked them up I instantly felt the tackiness of the Patriots, something that I have been coveting for awhile. Since these grips had no chords I knew that they were going to be friendly to my gloves, as I have had chorded grips in the past and they wore out my gloves much faster than solid rubber grips.

My first experience using the new Z-Grip Patriots from Golf Pride, was at my clubs driving range. After a few swings it immediately confirmed my first thought when I felt them...the tackiness of them. I was very pleased with how well my hands were sticking to the club. These grips were definitely tackier than most grips that I have played with in the past, like Winn or Lamkin. At the end of the range session I counted how many times these clubs slipped in my hands during a swing, the answer was 0. I couldn't wait to get them out on the course and play a full round with these new grips.

In addition to the tackiness the grips also had a lot of feel. I could tell when I hit solid or miss-hit shots. The grips weren't too hard or like some oversize grips, they weren't too soft either.

I tested out the grips by pouring water on them to see how they would handle wet conditions. They absorbed very little to none of the moisture and after wiping the grip down it immediately became very tacky again. I can see these grips taking on rainy conditions and not having an issue with losing your grip on them. Golf Pride's website was accurate in that these grips have good moisture management. Other grips I have played in the past have failed me when conditions on the course are wet or damp. They (old one's) would get wet and get a little slick and would stay that way for awhile. I purposefully laid these Patriots down in the wet morning grass to see how they played, again I wasn't disappointed. Another instance of how well these grips performed was in the extreme weather that I was playing in. The 2 weeks I was trying out these grips, the temperature was 100 degrees Fahrenheit or above every day. Needless to say that I was sweating and had moisture on my hands and never experienced an issue with clubs slipping.

The price of these grips is another positive. At only $8.49 a grip, these seem to be right in the middle range of pricing. These grips are definitely worth the price and actually perform better than some of the grips that cost more than these.

In addition to the price being low, Golf Pride is donating a portion of each grip sold to the Folds of Honor Foundation. "The Folds of Honor Foundation is rallying a nation to ensure no family is left behind in the fight to preserve American Freedom. Through scholarships and other assistance, we give back to the spouses and children of soldiers killed or disabled in service to our country. We provide healing, hope and an opportunity for dreams to be realized...with the support of people like you. We feel this is our duty as citizens of the greatest country in the world" (Folds of Honor website)

In summary, these are the best grips that I have played so far. The tackiness of these grips is just plain awesome! My concerns that I had in the past about clubs slipping are completely gone. I have now played 6 rounds with these Z-Grip Patriots, and have yet to have an issue in regards to losing my grip. They are a very affordable grip and in addition to the price you will be helping out a very important and worthy cause. The feedback that I got from the grips was also exceptional. After my experience with these new Z-Grip Patriots, I will not play any grips other than Golf Pride from now on.